Page 19 - Mindfulness Meets Emotional Awareness Sample Book
P. 19
Anyone who has ever struggled with intense and
overwhelming emotions at times of stress, duress or challenge
will know how extraordinarily difficult it is to remain
grounded in these moments, and what a challenge it is to
remain confident, not only in our interactions with others but
also in our belief in ourselves and in our feelings of self-worth,
self-value and self-esteem.
Healthy self-esteem and a core sense of inner personal well-
being doesn’t come from blocking out our more
uncomfortable feelings. It comes from listening to our
feelings and attending to them responsively; this enables us
to be resilient and ‘to be okay’ regardless of what’s going on
in our world. For this to take place, our mind will need to be
aware of and receptive to our emotions.
When we talk about being mindful and we teach mindfulness,
our desire is to enable people to develop the skill of becoming
more ‘present’. In calming the ‘internal noise’ of the mind we
can become more reflective and more aware of what is going
on, both in and around us within the immediacy of our
environment.
When we develop our awareness of the present moment, we
are actually developing our ability to be fully relational.
We are living beings, in constant interaction with the world
around us. Even in sleep, we are still connected or ‘in
relationship’ with the world around us. A sudden noise might
wake us up.
When we develop our ability to be fully present, we are
learning to listen and to hear; not simply with our ears, but to
relate with our actual experience in the immediacy of the
present moment.
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Mindfulness Meets Emotional Awareness
©Jenny Florence/Burgess A-Z of Emotional Health Ltd 2016 All rights reserved.